Pendant having multiple gemstones on a rotatable carousel

ABSTRACT

A jewelry piece including a housing having at least one display opening. A carousel is rotatably disposed and axially aligned within the housing. A plurality of decorations is disposed on the carousel and a handle is coupled to the carousel to selectively position at least one portion of the plurality of decorations in a viewable position through the at least one display opening of the housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/834, 678, filed Apr. 13, 2001. Each of the aforementioned related patent applications is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention generally relates to jewelry having selectable display. More particularly, the invention relates to a jewelry piece having a rotatable carousel for selectively displaying jewels and/or other decorations, such as engravings, inlay designs, photographs, enameled glass, and other decorative features.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Typical jewelry designs involve fixed gemstones and/or precious metal decorations. For example, a typical pendant includes a gemstone fixedly set on a decorated housing made from one or more precious metals, such as platinum, gold, and/or silver, or from other materials, such as bronze, brass, and other costume metals. When a particular gemstone color is desired, for example, to match the color scheme of the clothing of a person wearing the jewelry piece, a specific jewelry piece having the desired gemstone color is selected to be worn. When a different gemstone color is desired, another jewelry piece is selected to be worn.

[0006] Some jewelry designs provide a base jewelry piece with a removable or exchangeable gemstone setting that allows a person to selectively place the desired gemstone onto the base jewelry piece. Thus, a person may be able to switch gemstone colors while wearing the same base jewelry piece. However, the removable/exchangeable gemstones may be easily misplaced or lost. Furthermore, a number of removable/exchangeable gemstones must be taken along with the base jewelry piece to provide the selection to the wearer whenever a different gemstone color is desired.

[0007] Therefore, there remains a need for a jewelry piece having a selectable display of gemstones and/or decorations. It would be desirable for the selectable display of gemstones to be integrated with the jewelry piece.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A jewelry piece having a selectable display of gemstones and/or decorations is provided. The jewelry piece includes an integrated selectable display.

[0009] In one embodiment, the jewelry piece comprises a housing comprising a face plate and back support, the face plate having a display opening; a carousel rotatably disposed between the face plate and back support; a plurality of decorations disposed on the carousel; and a handle disposed through the housing and connected to rotate the carousel to selectively position at least one of the plurality of decorations in a viewable position through the display opening of the face plate.

[0010] In another embodiment, the jewelry piece comprises a housing comprising a display opening; a carousel axially aligned with and rotatably disposed within the housing; a plurality of decorations disposed on the carousel; and a handle disposed through the housing and connected to rotate the carousel to selectively position at least one of the plurality of decorations in a viewable position through the display opening of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.

[0012] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0013]FIG. 1 depicts a front view of a first embodiment of a pendant of the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of a carousel disposed in the pendent of FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 3 depicts a cross section view of a first embodiment of an index of the pendant along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of a pendant showing a carousel according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0017]FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a carousel and a back support showing an index according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0018]FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of a carousel and a back support showing an index according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0019]FIG. 7 depicts a cross-sectional view of a carousel and a back support showing an index according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0020]FIGS. 8A through 8C depict front views of a carousel and a back support having an index according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0021]FIG. 9 depicts a frontal view of a pendent according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0022]FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of a carousel disposed within the pendent of FIG. 9;

[0023]FIG. 11 depicts an inner view of a bail assembly of the pendent of FIG. 9;

[0024]FIG. 12 depicts an inner view of a handle assembly of the pendent of FIG. 9; and

[0025]FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of the carousel of the pendent of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0026]FIG. 1 depicts a front view of a first embodiment of a pendant 100 of the present invention. FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of a carousel 106 disposed in the pendent 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 depicts a cross section view of a first embodiment of an index 132 of the pendant 100 along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the pendant 100 generally comprises a face plate 102, a back support 104, and a carousel 106. Disposed within the face plate 102 is one or more display openings 120, where in FIG. 1, a single display opening 120 is illustratively shown. FIG. 2 depicts the pendent 100 having the face plate 102 removed to illustratively show the carousel 106. The carousel 106 is disposed between the face plate 102 and the back support 104. The face plate 102 may be connected directly to the back support 104 through a side portion or side wall as shown in FIG. 3. The pendant 100 may also include a bail 110 disposed at the top portion of the pendant, which facilitates hanging the pendant onto a chain or strap. The carousel 106 includes a front surface having a plurality of jewels/decorations 112 disposed thereon. The jewel/decoration 112 may include a variety of designs involving gemstones, precious metals, engravings, inlay designs, photographs, enameled glass, other decorative features, and combinations thereof. For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the carousel 106 illustratively includes four quadrants of jewels/decorations 112, and each quadrant of jewel/decoration 112 includes four gemstone settings. However, the carousel 106 may be divided into any number of sections, with each section having the jewel/decorations 112 attached thereon. As the carousel 106 is selectively rotated, the jewel/decorations 112 are displayed through the one or more display openings 120.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 3, the carousel 106 is rotatably disposed between the face plate 102 and the back support 104. A handle 114 is connected centrally to a central portion of the carousel 106 through a handle post 116. The handle post 116 extends through a centrally located hole 118 on the face plate 102. The handle 114 may be decorated, for example, with a precious gemstone. The front surface of the face plate 102 may also be decorated with various designs. The side wall 108 and the bail 110 may also be decorated with various designs.

[0028] A support post 122 may be disposed centrally on the back support 104, and a spring 124 may be disposed around the support post 122. The carousel 106 includes a mounting tube 126 disposed centrally therein and coupled to the support post 122. The mounting tube 126 includes a hollowed central portion 125 for receiving the support post 122 and spring 124 circumscribing the support post 122. An index 132 comprising an upper index member 128 and a lower index member 130 is utilized to provide selectable positioning of the carousel 106 and the jewel/decoration 112 to be displayed through the display opening 120. The upper index member 128 may be disposed about the circumference of the hole 118 on an interior surface of the face plate 102, and the corresponding lower index member 130 may be disposed around the handle post 116 on the carousel 106 (i.e., mounting tube 126). The upper index member 128 is disposed in mating engagement with the lower index member 130. For the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the index 132 includes opposing saw tooth ends on the upper and lower index members 128 and 130, which selectively engage each other. For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the index 132 includes four sets of corresponding saw tooth ends, which are disposed on both the upper and lower index members 128 and 130. In one embodiment, the number of sets of saw tooth ends corresponds to the number of selectable positions of the carousel 106 and the jewels/decorations 112.

[0029] The spring 124 provides the force required to keep the carousel 106 and the lower index member 130 in contact against the upper index member 128. To rotate the carousel 106 and select a different jewel/decoration 112 to be displayed through the one or more display openings 120, the handle post 116 may be pressed toward the face plate 102 to release the mating engagement between the lower index member 130 and the upper index member 128. Then, the decorated handle 114 may be selectively turned to rotate the carousel 106. Once the desired jewel/decoration 112 is displayed in the display openings 120, the user may release the handle 114, and the spring 124 forces the lower index member 130 against the upper index member 128, which retains the position of the carousel 106 and the jewel/decoration 112 displayed through the one or more display openings 120. Alternatively, a user may simply manually rotate the handle 114 with sufficient force to cause the lower index member 130 to slide against the upper index member 128. For the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, sufficient clearing or space (shown as distance d₁) is provided between a lower surface of the handle 114 and the upper surface if the face plate 102 to allow disengagement of the lower index member 130 from the upper index member 128. Similarly, a sufficient clearance or space (shown as distance d₂) is provided between a lower surface of the mounting tube 126 and an interior surface of the back support 104. Also, a sufficient clearance or space (shown as distance d₃) is provided between an inner surface of the mounting tube 126 and the support post 122, and the spring has sufficient resilience to force the lower index member 130 against the upper index member 128.

[0030]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a pendant 200 showing a carousel 206 according to another embodiment of the invention. The pendant 200 includes a face plate 202 having at least one display opening (not shown) similar to the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The carousel 206 is fixedly attached to a back support 204. A mounting tube 226 connects a central portion of the carousel 206 to a central portion of the back support 204. The carousel 206 includes a centrally located hole 218, and a mounting post 222 that is disposed through the mounting hole 218 through the mounting tube 226 and is secured to a back side of the front face plate 202, for example, by a threaded end of the mounting post 222. The mounting post 222 may comprise a threaded bolt or other fasteners. A spring 224 may be disposed in the mounting tube 226 against a flange 227 of the mounting post 222. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, an index 232 comprising a lower index member 230 and an upper index member 228 is utilized to selectively display a jewel/decoration through the display opening. The lower index member 230 illustratively comprises four bumps disposed peripherally on the carousel 206, and the upper index member 228 respectively comprises four indentations disposed correspondingly on an inner surface of the face plate 202. The upper index member 228 and the lower index member 230 are disposed in mating engagement. To rotate the carousel 206, a user may rotate the back support 204 relative to the face plate 202. A slight force may be required to pull apart the mating engagement between the lower index member 230 and the upper index member 228 by compressing the spring 224. When the carousel 206 has been rotated to the desired position the user may release the back support and allow the spring 224 to expand and force the lower index member 230 to engage or become disposed in mating engagement with the upper index member 228.

[0031]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a carousel 308 and a back support 304 showing an index 300 according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the index 300 comprises an index arm 302 disposed on a back support 304 and a plurality of index notches 306 disposed on a peripheral portion of a carousel 308. The carousel 308 may be disposed between the back support and the face plate (not shown) similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3. The index arm 302 is flexibly pivoted on the back support 304. When a sufficient force is applied to turn or rotate the carousel 308, the tip 303 of the index arm 302 is disengaged from one of the index notches 306 and contacts a peripheral edge 310 of the carousel 308 until another index notch 306 is rotated into mating engagement with the tip 303 of the index arm 302.

[0032]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a carousel 408 and a back support 404 showing an index 400 according to another embodiment of the invention. For this embodiment, an index 400 comprises an index arm 402 disposed on a back support 404 and an index wheel 405 (shown in phantom) disposed on a lower surface of a carousel 408. The tip 403 of the index arm 402 is disposed in mating engagement with one of the index notches 406. The notches 406 are disposed on a peripheral region of the index wheel 405. Operation of the index 400 is similar to the operation of index 300 as shown in FIG. 5. As the carousel 408 is rotated or turned by a sufficient force applied to the handle (not shown) attached to the carousel 408, the tip 403 of the index arm 402 becomes disengaged from one of the notches 406 and becomes in contact with the peripheral edge 410 of the index wheel 405 until the carousel has been rotated to the next position, and the tip 403 of the index arm 402 becomes engaged with another notch 406 on the index wheel 405.

[0033]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a carousel 508 and a back support 504 showing an index 500 according to another embodiment of the invention. For this embodiment, an index 500 comprises a spring loaded index arm 502 disposed on the back support 504. The tip 503 of the index arm 502 engages one of a plurality of indentations or notches 506 disposed on a back surface of the carousel 508. When a sufficient force is applied to turn the carousel 508, the index arm 502 disengages a notch 506 and becomes in contact with the back surface 504 of the carousel 508 until the carousel 508 has been rotated sufficiently for the tip 503 of the index arm 502 to engage another notch 506.

[0034]FIGS. 8A through 8C depict front views of a carousel 608 and a back support 604 having an index 600 according to another embodiment of the invention. For the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8A through 8C, the carousel 608 is rotatably disposed between the back support 604 and a face plate (not shown). The carousel 608 includes a plurality of index notches 606 disposed on a peripheral edge 612 of the carousel 608. An index 600A-C comprises an index bail 610A-C and the index notches 606.

[0035] For the embodiment shown in FIG. 8A, a bail 610A is threaded and screwed into position on a top portion of the pendant and a tip 611A of the bail 610A is disposed in mating engagement with one of the notches 606 on the carousel 608. The carousel 608 is then rotated to the next desired position, and the bail 610A may be tightened against an index notch 606 to secure the carousel 608 in position.

[0036] For the embodiment shown in 8B, the bail 610B is spring loaded with a spring 613 such that the bail 610B can be pulled away to release the carousel 608. After the carousel 608 has been rotated into the next desired position, the tip 611B of the bail 610B may be released to become in mating engagement with one of the notches 606 on the peripheral edge 612 of the carousel 608 to secure the position of the carousel 608.

[0037] For the embodiment shown in FIG. 8C, the bail 610C is connected to an index arm 614. The index arm 614 may be pivotally mounted at a central portion of the bail 610C to a peripheral portion of the back support 604. A spring 616 may be disposed between a tip 618 of the index arm 614 and an edge or side portion of the housing. The spring 616 provides a resilient force to the tip 618 to engage an index notch 606 on the peripheral edge 621 of the carousel 608 to secure the position of the carousel 608. When a sufficient rotational force is applied to the handle to turn the carousel 608, the tip 618 becomes disengaged with the notch 606 and contacts the peripheral edge 612 until the carousel 608 has been turned to the next position, at which the tip 618 comes into mating engagement with the next notch 606. Alternatively, the bail 610C may be pressed to release the tip 618 from the index notch 606, and the carousel 608 may be rotated to the desired position.

[0038]FIG. 9 depicts a frontal view of a pendent 700 according to another embodiment of the invention. The pendent 700 comprises a housing 706 having at least one display window 708 for selectively displaying jewels/decorations 720. The housing 706 is illustratively shaped as an elongated cylinder having a pair of housing ends 714 ₁ and 714 ₂ (collectively housing ends 714) disposed over each end of the housing 706. The housing ends 714 are coupled to the housing 706 by a fastener 734 (FIG. 10) such as a clip, screw, nail, staple, pin, solder, or other fastening mechanism. The housing ends 714 may further comprise a plurality of decorative skirts 710 and may be further decorated with other various decorations and jewels. The skirts 710 cover the interface between the housing 706 and the housing ends 714. In embodiments having more than one display opening 708, various arrangements for the display openings 708 may be positioned on opposite sides of the housing 706, arranged spirally around the circumference of the housing 700, randomly positioned about the housing 706, or in any other arrangement that permits simultaneous and/or multiple viewing of the jewels/decorations 720 disposed on the carousel 718.

[0039] In one embodiment, a housing end, illustratively, upper housing end 714 ₁ forms a bail assembly 704. The bail assembly 704 comprises an attaching device (pin, chain, shank, and the like), which allows the pendant 700 to be worn by a person. For example, in FIG. 9, a chain 705 is affixed to the bail assembly 704 formed at the upper housing end 714 ₁. The chain 705 may pass through an aperture (not shown) disposed through the bail assembly 704 or be fixedly attached (e.g., soldered) to an outer surface of the bail 704. In this manner, the pendant 700 hangs vertically from the chain 705. In a second embodiment, both housing ends 714 ₁ and 714 ₂ are formed as bails 704, such that the chain 705 may be coupled to both bails 704 such that the pendant 700 hangs substantially horizontal from the chain 705 when worn around the neck of a person.

[0040] A handle assembly 702 is formed at one of the housing ends 714. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 9, the handle assembly 702 is formed at the housing end 714 ₂, which is at the opposite end of the bail assembly 704 (i.e., housing end 714 ₁). Alternately, the handle assembly 702 and bail assembly 704 may be positioned at the same housing end 714.

[0041]FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional view of a carousel 718 disposed within the pendent 700 of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 depicts an inner view of the bail assembly 704 and FIG. 12 depicts an inner view of the handle assembly 702. Referring to FIGS. 10 through 12, a shaft 722 is fixedly attached through the center of the carousel 718 and extends a distance on each side (e.g., lower and upper portions) of the carousel 718. The carousel 718 and shaft 722 are disposed axially along the shaft 722 within the housing 706 (shown in phantom). Additionally, the shaft 722 is disposed through centrally located holes in the housing ends 714. Referring to FIG. 11, the bail assembly 704 comprises a centrally located hole 738, through which one end (e.g., an upper end) of the shaft 722 may be disposed. Similarly, referring to FIG. 12, the handle assembly 702 comprises a centrally located hole 736, through which a second end (e.g., a lower end) of the shaft 722 may be rotatably disposed through and then coupled to a handle 703.

[0042]FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of the carousel 718. The carousel 718 comprises the shaft 722 having a plurality of carousel walls 726 extending thereon. In one embodiment, four carousel walls 726 ₁ through 726 ₄ extend perpendicular to the shaft 722 and define four carousel sections 728 ₁ through 728 ₄ (collectively carousel sections 728). Although four carousel walls 726 and corresponding sections 728 are depicted, this number is not considered as limiting and any number of carousel walls 726 and sections 728 may be formed. In one embodiment, the carousel walls 726 are fabricated from a precious metal such gold and the like. Alternately, the carousel walls 726 may be fabricated from a decorative metal such as pewter, brass, and the like. In another embodiment, the carousel walls 726 may have mirrors affixed thereon to highlight the jewels/decorations 720, which are affixed between the carousel walls 726 in each carousel section 728.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 10, an index 732 is utilized to provide selectable positioning of the carousel 718. The index 732 comprises a first index member 728 and a second index member 730. The first index member 728 may be disposed proximate the center of the bottom portion 735 (FIG. 11) of the bail assembly 704. The corresponding second index member 730 may be disposed on the center of the upper portion of the carousel 718 around the shaft 722. The first index member 728 is disposed in mating engagement with the second index member 730. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the first and second index members 728 and 730 comprise corresponding saw tooth surfaces to provide the mating engagement. Alternate embodiments of the first and second index members 728 and 730 may comprise indentations and bumps (as depicted in FIG. 4) or any other configuration that permits mating engagement of two index members.

[0044] A spring 724 provides the force required to maintain the carousel 718 the second index member 730 in contact (i.e., mating engagement) with the first index member 728. The spring 724 is disposed between a lower portion (e.g., lower edges of the carousel walls 726) of the carousel 718 and an upper surface 723 (see also FIG. 12) of the handle assembly 702. The handle 703 is attached to the shaft 722 and is used to rotate the carousel 718 relative to the display window 708. In particular, the handle 703 is pulled away from the handle assembly 702 to compress the spring 724 and disengage the second index member 730 from the first index member 728. The handle 703 may then be turned to respectively rotate the carousel 718.

[0045] Once the carousel 718 has been rotated to a desired position (i.e., a jewel/decoration 720 aligned with the display window 708), the user may release the handle 703. Upon release of the handle 703, the spring 724 expands and forces the second index member 730 back to mating engagement with the first index member 728 to retain the position of the carousel 718. Alternatively, a user may simply manually rotate the handle 702 with sufficient force to cause the second index member 730 to slide against the first index member 728. For the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, sufficient clearance or space (shown as distance “d₄”) is provided between the upper surface 723 of the handle assembly 702 and a lower surface (e.g., the lower edges of the carousel walls 726) of the carousel 718. The distance d₄ must be sufficient to accommodate the spring 724 in its expanded mode of operation. Furthermore, the spring 724 only has to compress a distance “d₅” to allow the first and second index members 728 and 730 to disengage, where d₅ is measured as the distance between the saw tooth top and bottom, illustratively, of the second index member 730.

[0046] Although the above-described embodiments depict a pendant having a single selectable display window, other embodiments include multiple display windows, which may be positioned laterally, stacked, randomly, or in any other feasible position in the pendant. The above-described embodiment depicts the housing 706 and carousel 718 as being cylindrical in shape. Those skilled in the art will realize that other shaped housings and carousels are contemplated by the invention. For example, the housing 706 and the carousel 718 may be shaped as a hexagon, square, octagon, ellipse, or any other shape, in which permits the carousel to pivot through its center axis. For example, the carousel 718 may be cylindrically shaped and disposed within housing 706 to form a tube within a tube. In this manner, the jewels/decorations 720 are affixed to the outer surface of the cylindrical carousel, thereby allowing any portion of the carousel to be selectively displayed through one or more display windows 720.

[0047] In addition, two or more carousels 718 may be disposed within the housing of the pendant. In one embodiment having two stacked carousels along the same axis, a handle assembly 702 may be disposed at both housing ends 714 to control each carousel in a similar manner as describe in FIG. 9. Furthermore, although the invention is describe in terms of a pendant, the invention is not so limited and may be formed as rings, earrings, broaches, pins, lockets, cuff-links, key chains, necklaces, and the like, all having selectable displays.

[0048] In another embodiment, two or more carousels may be axially aligned and each carousel may be rotated using the index device as depicted in FIG. 4, where indentations and bumps are formed between the carousels, and a spring loaded handle provides mating engagement and disengagement therebetween. Yet in another embodiment having multiple laterally positioned carousels, the rotation of the each carousel may be easily provided as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. As such, the various carousels and indexing mechanisms taught herein may be utilized to accommodate multiple carousels disposed in a single decorative ornament, such as a pendant. Moreover, in any of the embodiments, a battery electrically coupled to a light source (not shown), such as a light emitting diode, bulb, optical fiber, and the like, may be disposed within the housing, housing ends, carousel, and the like to accentuate the jewels/decorations.

[0049] While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A jewelry piece, comprising: a housing comprising at least one display opening; a carousel rotatably disposed and axially aligned within the housing; a plurality of decorations disposed on the carousel; a handle coupled to the carousel to selectively position at least one portion of the plurality of decorations in a viewable position through the at least one display opening of the housing.
 2. The jewelry piece of claim 1, further comprising a shaft extending through a center of the carousel and coupled to said handle.
 3. The jewelry piece of claim 3, wherein the shaft rotatably extends through a pair of housing ends fixedly positioned on opposing sides of said housing.
 4. The jewelry piece of claim 4, wherein at least one of the housing ends forms a bail assembly.
 5. The jewelry piece of claim 4, wherein at least one of the housing ends forms a handle assembly.
 6. The jewelry piece of claim 5, further comprising: a first index member disposed upon the bail assembly; and a second index member disposed upon the carousel, wherein the second index member is disposed in selective mating engagement with the first index member.
 7. The jewelry piece of claim 7, wherein the upper index member and the lower index member comprise corresponding saw tooth surfaces.
 8. The jewelry piece of claim 1, wherein the carousel further comprises a plurality of walls having the plurality of decorations respectively disposed therebetween.
 9. A jewelry piece, comprising: a housing having at least one display opening; a carousel rotatably disposed in the housing; a plurality of decorative elements disposed on the carousel; and a handle connected to the carousel, for rotating the carousel to selectively position at least one of the plurality of decorative elements in a viewable position through the at least one display opening of the housing.
 10. The jewelry piece of claim 7 wherein the handle comprises a shaft disposed through the center of the housing and connected to rotate the carousel.
 11. The jewelry piece of claim 7, further comprising an index means for selectively indexing the carousel.
 12. The jewelry piece of claim 9 wherein the index means comprises: a first index member coupled to the housing; and a second index member disposed on the carousel, wherein the second index member is disposed in selective mating engagement with the first index member.
 13. The jewelry piece of claim 10 wherein the first index member and the second index member comprise corresponding saw tooth surfaces.
 14. The jewelry piece of claim 7 wherein the decorative elements further comprises one or more decorations selected from gemstones, precious metals, engravings, inlay designs, photographs, enameled glass, and combinations thereof.
 15. A jewelry piece comprising: a stationary element for defining at least one display opening; a rotatable element for rotating within said stationary element; and a plurality of decorations disposed on said rotatable element whereby said decorations are aligned with said at least one display opening upon rotation of said rotatable element.
 16. The jewelry piece of claim 13 wherein said stationary element comprises a face plate and a back support, the face plate having said at least one display opening.
 17. The jewelry piece of claim 13 wherein said stationary element is a cylindrical housing.
 18. The jewelry piece of claim 14 wherein said rotatable element is a carousel that is rotatably disposed between said face plate and said back support.
 19. The jewelry piece of claim 15 wherein said rotatable element is a cylindrical carousel that is axially aligned with said cylindrical housing.
 20. The jewelry piece of claim 13 wherein said decorations comprise one or more elements selected from gemstones, precious metals, engravings, inlay designs, photographs, enameled glass, and combinations thereof.
 21. A jewelry piece, comprising: a housing having at least one display opening; at least one carousel rotatably disposed in the housing; a plurality of decorative elements disposed on the at least one carousel; and at least one handle connected to the at least one carousel, for rotating the at least one carousel to selectively position at least one of the plurality of decorative elements in a viewable position through the at least one display opening of the housing. 